Mike Sonko to spend two more nights in police cell
Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.
Impeached Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko will spend two more nights in police cell pending his bail application.
Mr Sonko on Tuesday morning denied all 12 charges levelled against him.
The charges include assault, robbery with violence and destruction of property linked to alleged forced entry into a property in Buru Buru estate back in 2019.
He is accused of assaulting a Mr Alex Kioko, thereby occasioning him bodily harm. He is also accused, along with others not before court, of assaulting Mr Musyoki Kavunda and John Mungai Wanjiru at the same property.
He appeared before Kiambu senior principal magistrate Stella Ataambo.
The prosecution is seeking custodial orders to:
1. Detain him to conclude investigations
2. Take him to a Mombasa court where he has warrant of arrest for a pending case
3. Prevent him from accessing and intimidating witnesses
He was presented in court after spending the night at Gigiri police station.
The former county boss had presented himself at DCI headquarters for questioning yesterday after spending the entire morning chasing after a court order to stop detectives from questioning him, but in vain.
Sonko had been summoned to record statements with regard to claims he had made about the 2017 poll chaos.
He recently alleged that he and Interior Principal Secretary, Karanja Kibicho, were involved in planning some of the hooliganism witnessed during the disputed poll.
The prosecution opposed his release on bail, claiming he would threaten witnesses. They added that Mr Sonko was a flight risk, citing a case in a Mombasa Court which has been pending because he failed to turn up.
“We are seeking custodial orders to ensure that we transmit the accused to a Mombasa Court where he has a pending matter after he failed to appear in court. We also need time to conclude investigations and have his finger prints taken because he declined to do so at DCI headquarters. We also want to protect the witnesses,” Chief Inspector Geoffrey Ndatho told court in an affidavit.
The court also heard that the former governor is trying to whip up emotions by claiming that his arrest was political.
Mr Sonko was represented by senior counsel John Khaminwa alongside other advocates.
